UK renter places €99.8m equipment order

Rental company Morris Leslie Plant Hire has placed an order for £87.5 million (€99.8 million) worth of JCB machines, the biggest order the manufacturer has ever received in the UK.

JCB backhoe loaders destined for the Morris Leslie fleet. (Photo: JCB)

The order from the Perth-headquartered company will see it take delivery of 50 backhoe loaders as well as a number of excavators, site dumpers, loadall telescopic handlers and compaction equipment throughout 2023.

The machines will be delivered to 14 of Morris Leslie’s UK depots by dealer Scot JCB and will be fitted with a Stage V engine and LiveLink telematics system.

According to the hire firm, the purchase of the backhoe loaders comes as new figures show a “resurgence in demand” for the equipment in the UK.

Morris Leslie, Chairman of the Group, said: “We are delighted to have agreed our largest ever order with our long-term partner JCB to support our 2023 growth plans and by the end of the year our entire JCB fleet will be operating with the latest Stage V engines.

“The backhoe loader part of the order is particularly pleasing, and we look forward to seeing ongoing growth of our JCB 3CX fleet.

“The backhoe continues to be hugely popular with our customers thanks to its excellent loading and excavating capabilities and the ability to travel directly to the site, cutting the need for costly transportation.

“Scot JCB and other JCB dealers around the UK continue to provide first-class service to our depots and our customers.”

JCB Sales MD Marco Bersellini said: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Morris Leslie Plant Hire. This deal demonstrates confidence in the construction market and confirms that JCB has exactly the right products to meet the needs of hirers and end users.”